Ferrari: Race to Immortality

Ferrari celebrates its 70^th anniversary this year, and to pay homage to a brand that is easily one of the most iconic in the world, Ferrari: Race to Immortality tells the incredible story of Scuderia Ferrari’s rise to fame in those tumultuous early years on the 1950s racing circuit, which became known as the deadliest decade in motor racing history.

To the uninitiated, the late 50s are hailed as the golden years of motorsport. Champions were made and lost on a Sunday circuit, and motor racing held the title of the “most dangerous sport” by a long mile. It was a time of utter romanticism, of larger-than-life characters and countless heart-in-mouth moments.

In those first defining years of Formula 1, gentlemanly drivers wore bucket lid helmets – illegal by today’s standards for being woefully unsafe – and drove cars that would readily catapult them from the cockpit at 100mph, or crush them beneath a pile of wreckage as they spun top over tail. The competition for the world championship meant racing on a knife edge and one mistake could take a life.

Only the most daring of individuals signed on to be a race car driver, and towering above them all was Enzo Ferrari, who coveted them like a master swordsman honing the blades with which a country would wage war. Director Daryl Goodrich and screenwriter Rupert Bush portray the breadth of that intensity in all its glory and nail-biting anxiety, mixing together beautiful cuts of archive footage with some present-day film magic.

Race to Immortality focuses mostly on the relationship between Enzo Ferrari and his drivers, whom he would often pit against one another and manipulate to perform to their best. The story unfolds through the present-day recounting of events by the wives and girlfriends of those enigmatic British drivers like Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn, who were so integral to the team’s success. Interspersed between these voiceovers are interviews with the racers themselves, along with still living Formula 1 journalists and race commentators.

Enzo Ferrari was often called a dictator, completely and utterly concerned with winning at any cost, but Race to Immortality paints a more complicated picture. As each year passes on the timeline, his mentality is revealed in ways that, while hard to understand for non-racers, sheds new light on a defining time in the motorsport’s history, making it a must-watch for any motor racing fan.

Alex Corona

Ferrari: Race to Immortality is released nationwide on 3^rd November.2017.

Watch the trailer for Ferrari: Race to Immortality here: